In milking arrangements some parts, such as flexible teat cup liners, milk tubes, and pulsation tubes, may be expendable and thus exchangeable. Teat cup liners, for instance, come in a variety of models to suit the particular species, breed, size, or teat size of the animal to be milked.
The expendable exchangeable parts are typically made of rubber or a polymer. The material of the expendable exchangeable parts deteriorates with the age and operation time and they thus have to be replaced at certain intervals.
The replacement of teat cup liners is complicated and time-consuming and thus costly, and some dairy farmers are thus reluctant to replace the teat cup liners as often as recommended.
WO 2013/095290 discloses a teat cup of a different construction, comprising a connector and a cartridge. The cartridge comprises a sleeve, having a first end and a second end, and a flexible teat cup liner mounted in the sleeve and having an inner space for receiving a teat. A pulsation chamber is formed in the cartridge. The connector is configured to connect a milk conduit to the cartridge. In such a teat cup the whole cartridge is replaced, instead of just the liner as in a conventional teat cup. While this permits the dairy farmer to take advantage of new, improved, molded inflations made of superior materials, it is also assumed that the replacement of such a cartridge is simpler and faster than replacing a conventional teat cup liner.